"Philosophy of Action" is based on the lectures given in the Royal Institute of Philosophy's annual London lecture series 2015-16. This volume brings together an internationally distinguished team of lecturers. As befits the theme itself, a wide range of topics relating to action are covered. These include the nature of action itself and its relation to knowledge-how. There are a number of papers on issues relating to freedom and responsibility, and also to the relation between action and causation. Other papers consider the notion of planning in relation to agency, and the connection between agency and practical abilities. And there are also considerations of virtue and ethical concepts as applied to the notion of action. The papers collected here will testify to the liveliness of discussions of action in contemporary philosophy, and will also demonstrate the way many ancient conceptions of action are being developed in contemporary philosophical thought.

1. The scope of intention: action, conduct, and responsibility Robert Audi2. Rational planning agency Michael E. Bratman3. Two libertarian theories: or why event-causal libertarians should prefer my daring libertarian view to Robert Kane's view Alfred R. Mele4. Are character traits dispositions? Maria Alvarez5. Knowledge how in philosophy of action Jennifer Hornsby6. The doing and the deed: action in normative ethics Constantine Sandis7. Prichard on causing a change Jonathan Dancy8. Motor skill and moral virtue Ellen Fridland9. Forms of rational agency Douglas Lavin10. Action as downward causation Helen Steward11. The representation of action Anton Ford12. Agency and practical abilities Will Small13. Actions as prime Lucy O'Brien.

Anthony O'Hear, Royal Institute of Philosophy, LondonAnthony O'Hear is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckinghamshire, Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy and Editor of the journal Philosophy.

Robert Audi, Michael E. Bratman, Alfred R. Mele, Maria Alvarez, Jennifer Hornsby, Constantine Sandis, Jonathan Dancy, Ellen Fridland, Douglas Lavin, Helen Steward, Anton Ford, Will Small, Lucy O'Brien